British Airways cabin crew strike begins | Business | The Guardian British Airways cabin crew strike begins Picket lines and standby queues grow at Heathrow after last-ditch talks between BA and Unite union collapse British Airways planes sit at Heathrow airport as the three-day cabin crew strike gets under way. Photograph: Matt Dunham/AP Close This article is 6 years old British Airways cabin crew today began three days of strike action which will cause severe disruption for tens of thousands of the airline's passengers. Last-ditch talks between BA and the Unite union, which represents the crew, collapsed acrimoniously yesterday, with BA warning that unless a new framework is drawn up it will scrap an agreement that gives shop stewards the use of company offices and time off to represent members. Unite said early indications were that its 12,000 members were solidly supporting the three-day walkout, called in response to BA's decision to cut staffing levels on every flight by at least one crew member. Picket lines were set up at airports including Heathrow , which will be the worst affected by the strike. Unite said more than 80 BA planes were grounded at the airport and so far no buses that transport crew to work had crossed picket lines.

BA said more than 60% of long-haul flights would operate at Heathrow, although only 30% of short-haul flights were expected to do so. Many BA passengers at Heathrow's Terminal 5, from where most of its flights operate, said the only difference was that many of their flights were operated by other companies. American Jodi Rogers, 39, who is returning to Boston after a holiday, said: "As far as I know we are flying with BA and it's on time. So far, there has been no trouble." But Par Svensson, 47, from Sweden, had his flight to Copenhagen cancelled this morning due to the strike and he was waiting at the terminal to see whether he could catch a later flight to get home for his son's birthday. "I'm on standby for a flight and I will find out soon if I get on board. To be sure, I'm booked on a flight tonight from Stansted," he said. At Gatwick, all long-haul flights and more than half of short-haul flights were expected to operate as normal, while all flights to and from London City airport were expected to fly as scheduled.

BA said 65% of passengers would still be able to reach their destination during the strike, although 1,100 of the 1,950 scheduled flights would be cancelled. In a bid to break the strike, BA is using 1,000 volunteer cabin crew and 22 chartered jets, including three Ryanair planes complete with flight attendants. The company said it was confident of handling as many as 49,000 passengers today and the same number tomorrow, which compares with a figure of around 75,000 for a normal weekend day in March. It has warned that the strike could disrupt flights into next week. Another four days of industrial action are set to begin on 27 March and further action is expected from mid-April unless the deadlock is broken. Unite's joint leader, Tony Woodley, accused BA of wanting a "war" with the union and complained that the BA chief executive, Willie Walsh, had tabled a worse offer than one withdrawn last week.

Woodley said today that he had been set "mission impossible" because of the new offer, which included a four-year pay deal which the union maintained would at best freeze wages until 2014. The union had offered a 2.6% pay cut this year as part of a three-year deal. Woodley said: "The disruption that passengers will inevitably experience over the next three days could have been spared had BA grasped that you cannot put an offer on the table one day, take it off the next and then come back with a worse one a few days later. "To expect this union to recommend to its members any such proposal shows an insecure grasp of industrial relations reality. "Unite remains available at any time to talk to BA. We urge them to think again about what is truly in the long-term best interests of this great airline." Labour MP John McDonnell, whose Hayes and Harlington constituency includes Heathrow airport, said: "This dispute is a prime example of the current industrial relations climate, with the employer not only seeking to win but to break the union too. "This is an indication of the coming disputes, and requires maximum solidarity.

We need to learn the lessons and co-ordinate industrial action across the economy if we are to ensure ordinary people do not pay for this crisis." One industrial relations expert said if BA ended its current arrangement with Unite, which stipulates how much work airline employees can do for the union and what facilities they can use, it would reduce co-operation to the "bare minimum". The failure of the peace talks is a bitter blow to Gordon Brown , who is desperate to banish the spectre of large-scale industrial action 46 days before the likely election date. Q&A: What's the BA dispute about? - BBC News BBC News Q&A: What's the BA dispute about? 12 May 2011 Close share panel Image caption The dispute between BA and some of its staff has been long-running and bitter The long-running dispute between British Airways and some of its cabin crew could be close to a resolution after the airline and the Unite union reached a deal on some of the key issues. What is the latest development? British Airways and the Unite union have come to an agreement to settle their long-running industrial dispute.

As part of the deal BA has agreed to restore travel concessions to staff who went on strike and to award some lower-paid employees top-up payments. Why is this important? Both issues were at the centre of the bitter dispute so to have progress on these two sticking points means a final resolution might be produced in the ongoing saga. Has anything else been announced? Yes, as part of the deal, cabin crew would receive a two-year pay rise worth up to 7.5%. This is expected to be dependent on staff meeting productivity targets. When did the dispute begin? The dispute started back in October 2009, when BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights from 15 to 14 and introduced a two-year pay freeze from 2010. The Unite union said this would hit passenger services, as well as the earnings and career prospects of cabin crew.

BA's years of industrial turbulence 2009 Oct 6: BA announces 1,700 cabin crew job cuts and pay freeze Dec 14: Cabin crew announce 12-day strike after thousands of staff vote by a ratio of 9-1 for action Dec 17: High Court rules strike cannot go ahead after BA wins legal challenge 2010 Jan 21: Cabin crew vote for fresh strikes, but action halted by new legal wrangling Mar 28: Cabin crew vote by a ratio of 8-1 for strikes in new ballot April 14: BA and Unite agree a 28-day extension before any further strike action is called May 11: BBC discloses that dispute is on the verge of resolution following breakthrough in talks What has been at the heart of the dispute? When it started it centred on changes to staffing levels, pay and conditions. However, following walkouts in March last year, BA removed the travel concessions of workers who took part in the industrial action, with some also facing disciplinary action. Earlier this year, the union said the dispute was now about four issues.

It wanted a restoration of travel perks in full, arbitration through Acas of all cabin crew disciplinary cases related to the dispute, and restoration of pay to those genuinely sick during the dispute. It also wanted a full discussion about how BA had handled industrial relations within the company. What travel perks do BA workers get? BA staff, as well as their family and friends, can buy tickets for 10% of the full fare price. They all have to travel standby, so they only get to travel if there are empty seats. The longer they have worked for the airline, the higher up the standby list they get. BA has offered to reinstate the perks of striking staff, but only at the level of new joiners, so they'd be at the back of the standby queue. BA said that seniority would only be restored on the condition of good behaviour for the next three years. Why has BA made changes to staffing levels, pay and working conditions? BA said it had to restructure and permanently reduce its costs. Over the past few years, air travellers have been switching to low-cost airlines, especially during the recession. This was particularly true of business travellers who were traditionally BA's core customers. What happens now?

The agreement is to be put to a ballot of about 10,000 union members over the next month, with a union recommendation for acceptance. The ballot process will start next week with the result expected by the end of June. British Airways strike and human rights – the union strikes back – UK Human Rights Blog British Airways strike and human rights – the union strikes back British Airways Plc v Unite the Union [2010] EWCA Civ 669 (20 May 2010) – Read judgment Last month Unite won their appeal against an injunction obtained by British Airways in the High Court preventing their members from striking. The judgment has some potentially important implications for human rights, and in particular the right to free assembly. The strike has already been the most damaging in British Airways’ history and they airline are now preparing for another round of strikes with Unite threatening to ballot its members for a third time. Today the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) called for a change in the law to make it harder to bring strikes.

Amongst other things, they are lobbying for the number of workers who need to agree to a strike before it can take place to be raised to 40%, which they say would “prevent strikes going ahead based on a relatively small turnout of particularly active members.” Whilst trade union rules may seem a little dry as compared to the drama and intrigue which tends to characterise large-scale strikes, in fact the requirements of trade union law have been the focus of a run of important court decisions relating to British Airways. Unite have argued, with recent success, that an overly strict enforcement of procedures is an unnecessary and disproportionate restriction on workers’ right to strike. British Airways have said that the rules are there to protect companies and their customers from unnecessary industrial action. The result is that these seemingly dry technical requirements are now taking centre-stage in industrial disputes. But are the courts letting down employers in failing to apply them properly?

Rules too strict for the Court of Appeal Until the British Airways case reached the Court of Appeal (the second highest appeal court), the airline had experienced a run of successes in obtaining injunctions against strikes because unions had breached the strict requirements of section 231 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 , the requirement to inform members of the outcome of strike ballots. In May the High Court granted an injunction for the second time in 6 months against a strike planned by British Airways cabin crew. The injunction was granted on the basis of a technical breach of trade union rules. They had not properly informed their members of the outcome of the strike, even though the strike ballot itself was carried out properly and action was overwhelmingly approved by BA cabin workers. The Judge ruled that Unite did not tell its members about the number of spoilt ballot papers in the last dispute, and that as such it was arguably in breach of the which states that as soon as is reasonably practical, a trade union must inform all those entitled to vote in a ballot of, amongst other things, the number of spoiled voting papers. Unite appealed to the Court of Appeal.

It took an unusually long time for the full Court of Appeal judgment to be released (around a month), which may have been an attempt to avoid influencing ongoing negotiations between the airline and union. However, these are still deadlocked and a number of walk-outs have already taken place, affecting thousands of summer holidays. Human rights in play The right to strike forms an important background to this dispute. Article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights provides that “Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.” As is common with Convention rights, the right can be restricted if that restriction is proportionate, with the test of proportionality being that it is “necessary in a democratic society, in the interests of national security or public safety, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others”. Good arguable claim The context of applying for an interim injunction is important: an applicant need only show that they have a “good arguable claim“; the hearing is not intended to represent a full hearing of the merits of the case (see American Cyanamid Co. v.

Ethicon Limited [1975] AC 396). The Court of Appeal ultimately decided to reverse the decision of the High Court, and to allow Unite’s appeal. The three judges who ruled on the case were the two highest judges in the court – the Lord Chief Justice and the Master of the Rolls – as well as Lady Justice Smith. The judgment was not unanimous, however, with the Master of the Rolls, Lord Neuberger, dissenting. The focus of the Lord Chief Justice’s ruling was on whether the technical breaches of the rules by Unite were enough to render the strike unlawful. He began by putting the issue the context of what was otherwise as very popular strike action: The ballot itself was carried out impeccably in accordance with the statutory requirements. 11,691 ballot papers were distributed to eligible voters. The process was scrutinised by an independent body… the vote in favour of strike action was overwhelming… 11 of the ballots were spoiled. 7,482 votes were cast in favour of industrial action with 1,789 cast against. There is, therefore, no doubt that as a result of a properly conducted democratic process … The conduct of the strike ballot was not the issue, however.

Rather, it was the requirement for Unite to notify its members of the outcome which proved fatal in the lower court. The Lord Chief Justice continued that Mr Justice McCombe’s judgment was not based on a “judicial whim”, but “he was bound, as we are bound, not by the democratic process conducted by the Union, but by the Act of Parliament which governs the right of employees to strike and to take industrial action against their employers.” Some had criticised the High Court’s judgment as being too technical, given the clearly overwhelming support of the workers for the strike. This was ultimately the focus of the Court of Appeal, who looked for ways of making the rules a bit less strict.

This was done by comparing them to ballot results, where there is some flexibility: if the result of a ballot itself is unaffected by accidental, small scale failures in the process, it is difficult to see why minor failures about the provision of information about the results to the Union members should undermine the entire process Ultimately, the Lord Chief Justice reached for a more practical and “reasonable” application of the rules, and that “consistently with the deployment of the concept of reasonableness in section 231, that the Union is not required to prove that literally every eligible member was personally sent his or her own individual report of the full results. A test of such strictness would be unrealistic and, as it seems to me, McCombe J came very close to applying it when he came to his conclusion in this case.” Applying the “good arguable claim” test which is central to summary judgment applications, he found: In my judgment, if this case went to trial the high probability is that BA would establish that the section 231 process could have been better, but there is a high probability that the Union would establish that the process was sufficient. I should therefore allow the appeal.

He finished by appealing for reason and the application of basic principles rather than legalistic stricture: What I do, however, question is whether as a matter of principle it can be appropriate that even a complete failure to inform the Union members — not the employers — of the fact that an infinitesimal proportion of spoilt ballots were returned which could have had no possible bearing on the outcome of the ballot could leave the Union liable in tort for calling a strike which had the support of the vast preponderance of its members. At the risk of repetition, it does indeed seem curious to me that the employers can rely on a provision designed to protect the interests of members of the Union in order to circumvent their wishes Courts should apply the rules, not decide them Lord Neuberger disagreed with the other two judges. He said that the rules are eminently clear, and should be complied with. In my judgment, these provisions are clear, and the court should proceed on the basis that they mean what they say.

Unless the court is satisfied that, as soon as reasonably practicable, the trade union has taken steps which are reasonably necessary to ensure that the four pieces of information identified in section 231 (a) to (d) (“the section 231 information”) are given to all persons entitled to vote then the ballot would not comply with section 231. It is, in my view, impermissible for the court to dispense with the requirement that the requisite steps are taken to provide one or more of four items of information when the legislature has said in terms that requisite steps must be taken to ensure each such item has to be provided. He said that the court had effectively acted outside of its powers in allowing Unite to avoid the strict application of the rules: “it is simply not open to the court to rule that the person is entitled to that benefit where the specific information has not been given, or the specific step has not been taken.” He accepted that the rules could be seen as “surprising in their strictness” but nevertheless it was not for the court to decide whether or not they were unnecessarily strict; rather, it was the court’s job to apply the rules and Parliament’s to set them.

There were, he argued, numerous ways – through email, text and even Twitter – by which Unite could have communicated the section 231 information, but it did not do so, and as such “the conclusion must be that Unite did not, as I see it at the moment, take reasonable and prudent steps to ensure that all cabin crew members were given the section 231 information as soon as reasonably practicable.” The right to strike upheld, for now The human right to free assembly can only restricted in limited circumstances, one of which is when an assembly impinges on the “the rights and freedoms of others”. This delicate balancing act – the rights of workers to use their collective bargaining power, versus the rights of businesses to not be held to ransom – has informed the British Airways v Unite dispute at every stage. Ultimately, the two-judge majority looked to a “reasonable” interpretation of the statutory provisions. Some will argue (as Lord Neuberger did) that this falls outside of their powers; simply, if Parliament set the rules to be strict, then it is not for the courts to say otherwise, whether they consider it reasonable or not.

The Lord Chief Justice asked, legitimately, whether it can truly be said to be the will of Parliament that rules instituted to protect union members can be wielded against them by legalistic employers. However, BA and other employers will no doubt respond that the rules are there to protect the rights of employers, and the general public, too. It is all very well for the CBI to argue for ever stricter rules in light of the increasing economic pressure on employers, but if the courts are unwilling to apply them, there may be more strikes to come regardless. The Supreme Court may ultimately have to decide on where the correct balance of rights must lie. Rate this: Author: Thomas Prosser In May and June 2010, the UK trade union Unite carried out a series of industrial actions against British Airways. The strikes were the latest in a series of industrial actions taken by Unite against the airline. The dispute has centred on cost-cutting measures proposed and implemented by British Airways, as well as issues concerning the terms and conditions of Unite members. Both sides appear to be deeply entrenched and the dispute could continue during the summer of 2010.

Background to current dispute In December 2009, a strike ballot was held by Unite the Union ( Unite ) among its British Airways ( BA ) members concerned about job losses, a pay freeze and changes to the work practices of cabin crew. The proposed strikes were supported by Unite members, but the airline sought an injunction against the union on the grounds that Unite had not followed the correct balloting procedures. The industrial action was blocked by a UK court. A second ballot was held in February 2010, and a series of industrial actions by Unite against BA followed in March 2010. BA responded to the March 2010 actions by withdrawing travel benefits for employees who had participated in the action. Strikes continue in May and June On 20 May 2010, and following the failure of further negotiations and a further legal dispute over their right to call industrial action, Unite announced a series of five-day stoppages for May and June 2010. One of the main triggers for these strikes was the removal of travel concessions by BA from those workers who had gone out on strike in March 2010.

Five-day actions were called for 24 May, 30 May and 5 June 2010. Negotiations between Unite and BA aimed at avoiding these actions, facilitated by the UK Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service ( ACAS ), broke down after members of the far left Socialist Workers Party disrupted the negotiations, and Derek Simpson, joint General Secretary of Unite, was found to have been using an electronic device to interactively update Unite supporters via the internet during the course of the negotiations. The planned actions went ahead and were the focus of considerable political and media attention. The final day of action, held on 9 June, was the 22nd day of action in the dispute in 2010. Current position Assessments of the effects of the strike varied between Unite and BA. According to Unite, there was ‘huge disruption’ to the number of flights BA was able to operate and the union claimed that the 22 days of industrial action had cost BA some GBP 154 million (€186.5 million as at 10 June 2010).

BA insisted that it had operated efficient services during all of the walkouts, and claimed that more crew had turned up for work during the later disputes compared to earlier ones. Both parties continued to hold the other responsible for the dispute. According to Willie Walsh, the Chief Executive of BA, ‘Unite have failed to ground British Airways, and we are continuing to fly and we are continuing to work … They have failed in their efforts. There is no trade-off [concerning Unite’s demands] … This is about the future viability of the airline.’ Unite’s Assistant General Secretary Len McCluskey said: ‘While Unite views this as a process where both parties must compromise, BA’s CEO prefers to see this as a siege against his own workforce. This bunker mentality suggests that the true objective is not cutting costs, but crushing the workforce.’ Commentary The ongoing dispute between BA and Unite represents one of the most high profile and protracted disputes in recent UK industrial relations history and has also placed a considerable strain on the resources of both parties.

BA announced an annual pre-tax loss of GBP 531 million (€642.8 million) in May 2010, and losses incurred as a result of the strikes will only worsen the company’s financial predicament. The length and scale of the action will also have placed a serious burden on the resources of Unite. Talk of the dispute continuing throughout the summer will also be a cause of worry to the UK public authorities, and British members of parliament have already signed a motion expressing ‘deep concern’ that a deal has not been reached between the parties. Given the apparent determination of both sides not to be perceived as giving in to the demands of the other, however, it is possible that the dispute could continue throughout the summer of 2010. Thomas Prosser, IRRU, University of Warwick Useful? Interesting? Tell us what you think. Hide comments Add new comment British Airways staff to meet union for strike talks | Business | The Guardian British Airways British Airways staff to meet union for strike talks Unite general secretaries to consider request by cabin crew representatives for 20 days of strikes over staff cuts British Airways staff are to meet the Unite union for strike talks after a dispute about staffing cuts.

Photograph: Tim Ockenden/PA Monday 10 May 2010 05.12 EDT First published on Monday 10 May 2010 05.12 EDT Close This article is 6 years old Nearly 2 million British Airways passengers are awaiting the outcome of talks between trade union leaders and cabin crew representatives today that could see the announcement of a lengthy strike by BA flight attendants. The joint general secretaries of the Unite trade union, Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson, will consider a request by shop stewards for 20 days of strikes starting as soon as next Monday. A walkout lasting nearly three weeks would affect nearly 1.8m passengers, but BA is confident that contingency plans used during seven days of strikes in March will again blunt the impact of any industrial action. Further walkouts are looming in the wake of last month's volcanic ash disruption after cabin crew rejected BA's latest attempt to resolve a dispute over staffing cuts last week. It is understood that Woodley and Simpson are sympathetic to a lengthy walkout, but have yet to commit themselves. Under one scenario discussed by cabin crew representatives last week, flight attendants would have walked out in four waves of five-day strikes.

Officials below the Unite joint leadership have backed the 20-day strategy, but the ultimate decision over industrial action lies with the general secretaries. If the 20-day plan went ahead from next Monday, the airline would be disrupted until 8 June including half-term week. A trade union source said: "There are still discussions to be had about the length of any strike. But there is an acceptance that a lengthier strike may be what is needed to make the company see sense." In an indication of the deteriorating relationship between BA and cabin crew shop stewards, only a handful of flight attendant representatives will be able to attend the meeting because the airline has not released union officials from rostered duties, according to a trade union source. Willie Walsh, BA chief executive, has dismissed as "nonsense" claims by Unite and more than 100 industrial relations academics that he is embarked on a union-breaking exercise. The airline has repeatedly called on Unite and Bassa, its main cabin crew branch, to end the dispute over reductions in staffing levels on flights, which have been carried out without any compulsory redundancies.

However, the dispute has mushroomed into a clash over the removal of staff travel perks from 5,000 cabin crew who joined the first phase of walkouts in March and the disciplining of 55 staff over incidents related to the industrial action. Woodley and Simpson urged cabin crew to reject a BA peace offer, which partially addressed the staffing cuts, because it did not fully reinstate the discounted BA travel scheme or pledge leniency to the disciplined staff, including a senior Bassa representative who was sacked last week. The new row over staff travel has raised the threat of a legal challenge from BA, after the airline wrote to Unite last week querying whether the union is preparing to strike over a separate issue that has not been subjected to an official ballot. The first wave of strikes, over two consecutive weekends in March, cost BA around £43m, with the six days of disruption due to the volcanic ash cloud costing a further £100m. BA is seeking reductions in its cabin crew budget because it is on track to lose around £1bn over two years.

BA strike: Unite union considers dispute offer - BBC News BBC News BA strike: Unite union considers dispute offer 12 May 2011 Read more about sharing. Close share panel Image caption Cabin crew arriving for the meeting said they hoped to see an end to the dispute Union members are meeting to consider an offer which could end the long-running dispute between British Airways and some cabin crew. The Unite union is expected to recommend the terms of a deal which has been negotiated during talks with BA. If those at the Heathrow meeting back the offer, a formal ballot of union members could be held within weeks. This dispute began in 2009 over cost cutting but became bogged down over the loss of travel perks to striking staff. BA staff arriving for the meeting in west London said they hoped it would result in an end to the dispute. "We really all want it to be sorted out now. It has gone on too long," one cabin crew member told BBC News. Staffing levels The strikes have resulted in travel chaos for hundreds of thousands of passengers and the bill for the disruption caused to BA has been estimated to be £150m.

BA's years of industrial turbulence 2009 Oct 6: BA announces 1,700 cabin crew job cuts and pay freeze Dec 14: Cabin crew announce 12-day strike after thousands of staff vote by a ratio of 9-1 for action Dec 17: High Court rules strike cannot go ahead after BA wins legal challenge 2010 Q&A: What's the BA dispute about? However, after 22 days of strikes over the past 18 months, hopes have been raised that an end to the row is in sight. Negotiations between the two sides resumed in March, when cabin crew voted in favour of a further round of industrial action, and have been going on for weeks. The union held back from announcing strike dates pending the outcome of the talks. A spokesman for the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association - a branch of Unite - confirmed that "talks have now concluded to the satisfaction of both parties". Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, who has held talks with BA chief executive Keith Williams, will address a mass meeting of union members and the union leadership is expected to recommend they accept the offer.

If they do, a formal ballot will be held, with the result expected in July. This raises the prospect of BA flights being free from disruption through the summer. The dispute started in November 2009 as a row about staffing levels on some long-haul flights. BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights from 15 to 14 and introduced a two-year pay freeze from 2010. Unite said this would hit passenger services and affect the earnings and career prospects of cabin crew. But the union's demands shifted to the reinstatement of some workers sacked during industrial action and the decision, affecting about 7,000 Unite members, to take away travel perks from striking staff. Leadership changes Progress is thought to have been made on those two issues, which were the main sticking points, and reports suggest the proposed deal would also cover union representation and pay. Former British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh became the focus of the anger of many union members during the dispute. Mr Walsh has since moved on to head the company formed by the merger of BA and the Spanish carrier Iberia, International Airlines Group, and was succeeded by Mr Williams.

Mr McCluskey was elected in November 2010 to succeed former joint general secretaries Tony Woodley and Derek Simpson. BBC News industry correspondent John Moylan said the change in leaderships on both sides had given fresh impetus to resolve the dispute. BA strike: timeline - Telegraph Travel News BA strike: timeline The British Airways strike is the culmination of several months of wrangling between the airline and the Unite union, which represents its disaffected cabin crew. Follow October 5, 2009 BA declares plans to axe 1,700 members of staff in Britain and to freeze basic pay for cabin crew for two years. October 26, 2009 A ballot of almost 14,000 workers is announced by Unite to determine whether cabin crew will take industrial action over the Christmas period. December 14, 2009 British Airways and Unite: how relations deteriorated 24 May 2010 By a massive majority, the 9,000 cabin crew working for the airline vote to strike for a 12-day period over Christmas, throwing millions of people's holiday plans into chaos.

Willie Walsh, chief executive of BA, says he is considering "all options", including legal action, to halt the strike. The following day Derek Simpson, joint boss of Unite, admits that the walkout is "probably over the top". December 17, 2009 The planned strike is left in tatters by a High Court injunction after it emerges that the union included in its vote members who were already set to leave the airline. January 20, 2010 Following the disappointment of the previous month, the union declares that it will take a vote from members on a new walkout. February 22, 2010 The vote passes, with more than four in five of the cabin crew balloted by Unite supporting the strike.

Days later Michael O'Leary, Ryanair's straight-talking boss, urges British Airways to take on the unions, but says he believes the carrier will "wimp out at the eleventh hour" because its board has "no spine, no balls and no vision." March 14, 2010 Lord Adonis, then transport secretary, says the planned strike is "totally unjustified" but there is still no deal between the airline and Unite to see it called off despite last-ditch talks as the deadline approaches. March 20-22, 2010 The first three days of industrial action take place, with more walkouts planned for the following week. Unite says BA declared "war" on the union during the latest round of talks by making cabin crew a worse offer than the one withdrawn from the negotiating table the previous week. March 27-30, 2010 Another walkout of BA cabin crew takes place, causing travel havoc for passengers in the run-up to Easter. Unite accuses the airline of going to "enormous lengths" to beat the strike by paying pilots £166 an hour to work as crew.

May 10, 2010 After yet more negotiations, Unite turns down the airline's latest offer and declares a new set of strike dates, with 20 days of walkouts set to take place over a three and a half week period. May 17, 2010 Unite is hit by another court injunction banning it from taking industrial action, because it did not inform members of the results of the ballot. Steve Turner, a spokesman for the union, says the decision is an "affront to democracy". May 20, 2010 The latest ruling is overturned by the Court of Appeal, paving the way for the strikes to take place. May 21, 2010 Willie Walsh blames the "dysfunctional" union for the failure to avert the strike as British Airways posts record pre-tax losses of £531 million. Meanwhile in a letter to the biggest shareholders at the airline, Unite says attempts to find an agreement "have been thwarted by a management that is ... putting ego and machismo ahead of your interests as investors – and playing fast and loose with the airline's future".

May 22, 2010 Eleventh-hour talks to call off the strike are hijacked by Socialist Workers Party activists after Derek Simpson sends live updates on Twitter that give away the location of the negotiating parties. Willie Walsh later says he is "shocked and angry" to learn that Mr Simpson has been publicising details of the talks, and that his actions undermined the discussions. May 24, 2010 The first in the series of five-day strikes gets under way, with BA claiming it can still run a full service at Heathrow. Attempts to forge a last-minute deal fell apart despite the union offering to suspend its strike if the airline gave back travel concessions to members that were withdrawn after the last strike. BA dispute - a timeline travel chaos - Telegraph Travel News BA dispute - a timeline travel chaos The ongoing BA cabine crew dispute has been rumbling on since 2009 bringing chaos to travllers. Here is a timeline of some of the key events. Photo: GETTY 7:35AM BST 12 May 2011 2009 October 6: The airline announces plans to cut 1,700 cabin crew jobs and freeze pay.

Union officials accuse the company of ''holding a gun'' to the heads of staff and warn they are prepared to fight the proposals. October 26: The threat of a pre-Christmas strike by cabin crew increases when a ballot for industrial action is announced among almost 14,000 workers. November 2: More than 2,500 members of Unite travel from across the world to attend a mass meeting which backs calls for industrial action. November 16: Thousands of cabin crew start voting, with more than 12,000 ballot papers issued. Related Articles BA agrees union deal to end strikes 12 May 2011 December 14: Cabin crew announce a 12-day strike from December 22 to January 2 following a 9-1 vote in favour of industrial action. BA says the strikes are ''completely unjustified''. December 17: The High Court rules the strike cannot go ahead. BA wins its legal challenge after claiming that Unite had balloted hundreds of members who had subsequently left the company. Unite says cabin crew will be reballoted.

2010 March 15: After cabin crew vote in favour of industrial action, then prime minister Gordon Brown describes the planned strikes as ''deplorable'' and says they should be called off. British Airways says it plans to keep 60% of its customers flying if cabin crew go ahead with the first strike. March 19: Talks between BA and Unite collapse. BA boss Willie Walsh confirms that any worker who joins the strike will lose their travel perks, including flights at vastly reduced cost. March 20: At the stroke of midnight, British Airways cabin crew walk out, commencing their three-day action. March 24: BA tells striking cabin crew they will lose their travel perks. Unite vows to fight the action. May 10: Following further strikes and Unite's rejection of a BA offer, Unite announces plans for 20 days of action following the rejection of BA's offer. Cabin crew say they will walk out on May 18-22 inclusive, May 24-28, May 30-June 3 and June 5-9. May 14: British Airways announces it is to take legal action in a bid to prevent the strikes.

Meanwhile it is announced that conciliation service Acas has asked both BA and Unite to attend fresh peace talks. May 17: Less than 24 hours before new action is due to start, BA wins an 11th-hour injunction banning strike action. May 20: Unite wins an appeal against the BA injunction and announces that the strikes are back on and will commence on May 24. May 21: BA posts annual losses of £531 million. May 22: Talks at averting the strikes end in disarray after demonstrators storm the building in which they are taking place. Mr Walsh has to be escorted from the building by police. May 24: Strike action begins, with members of Unite launching a five-day walkout. June 2: Union leaders claim the strikes have cost the airline £112 million and it could lose £1.4 billion as passengers switch to other carriers. June 8: Striking British Airways cabin crew tell MPs there was a ''climate of fear'' at the airline as they stage their 21st day of industrial action.

June 10: British Airways chief executive Mr Walsh turns down a bonus of £330,000 for the previous financial year. June 24: British Airways launches a recruitment drive for new cabin crew under plans to cut costs. June 25: British Airways makes a new offer to Unite in a fresh attempt to end the dispute. June 27: Unite is set to postpone a new British Airways strike ballot so it can consider a fresh offer from the airline. July 7: British Airways cabin crew to start voting on a new offer aimed at averting fresh strikes. July 20: British Airways cabin crew reject the airline's final offer to end the dispute by 3,419 votes to 1,686. July 26: The dispute takes a fresh twist when Unite announces it is taking legal action over the removal of travel concessions from cabin crew who have been on strike. July 30: British Airways says it has made a pre-tax loss of £164 million for the three months to June 30. July 31: More than 80 cabin crew have been suspended and 13 sacked because of incidents related to the dispute, it emerges.

August 9: British Airways expresses ''delight'' after its Heathrow customer service staff vote overwhelmingly to accept new working practices. August 19: The dispute is set to return to the courts with fresh legal action by the union. November 23: Union leaders express anger at the suspension of a cabin crew member after she collected contributions for colleagues facing disciplinary action. November 24: Len McCluskey, newly appointed general secretary of Unite, attacks the ''culture of fear'' at British Airways. 2011 January 10: Almost three out of four members of British Airways cabin crew have witnessed or been victims of bullying, Unite says. January 21: Cabin crew vote in favour of fresh strikes. February 8: Unite to hold a fresh strike ballot following a ''legal blitz'' from the airline, the union says. February 22: A fresh ballot will be held next month, it is announced. March 28: Cabin crew vote by more than 8-1 to stage fresh strikes. April 14: British Airways and Unite agree a 28-day extension before any further strike action is called.

May 12: The dispute is on the verge of being resolved following a breakthrough in crucial talks aimed at ending the long-running row. BBC News - BA strike: Union announces dates in March BA strike: Union announces dates in March Willie Walsh, BA chief executive: "We'll do whatever we can to keep BA flying" The union representing British Airways cabin crew has said its members will go on strike for three days from 20 March and for four days from 27 March. The Unite union confirmed it would not strike over Easter, but warned there could be further action after 14 April if a resolution had not been agreed. BA cabin crew are striking over changes to pay and staffing levels imposed by the airline last November. Another row has broken out between BA and the union about a new offer. In addition to strike action, the union announced at a press conference that it would also ballot its members on a new offer from BA tabled earlier this week, but said it would not recommend it. But shortly afterwards, BA boss Willie Walsh told the BBC that the airline's offer was no longer available. He said the offer was conditional on strike action being averted, and so had been withdrawn.

Unite's assistant general secretary Len McCluskey said this latest move by British Airways "beggared belief" and denied that the offer was ever conditional. Far apart Although both sides reasserted that they were available for further talks, the language on both sides has hardened since the strikes were announced. CASE STUDY Instead of travelling in luxury, we're faced with spending a large amount just to get a one-way economy flight, or otherwise losing out on our dream honeymoon and probably most of the money spent on it. Rob Walker and Samantha Coleman Send us your comments Mr Walsh said the two parties were "not close at all" to coming to an agreement. The union's proposals to save more than £60m at the loss-making airline included staff pay cuts that BA described as "morally wrong". Mr Walsh said Unite had failed to provide any credible plan to date. The union contended that it had "made enormous strides and significant offers that meet the demands of BA". Mr McCluskey said that the withdrawal of the offer showed that the airline's management was "bent on confrontation and never had any intention of an agreement".

The Conservatives accused the government of "looking the other way" because the union was "channelling millions" into "Labour's election coffers". Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the two sides to resume negotiations. "It's in my view essential that the parties continue to talk now even at this 11th hour," he said. "I hope they will do so but I remind them of the danger and risk to the British economy of disruptive strikes going ahead." Flight cancellations BA said all flights to and from London City Airport would be unaffected by strike action, as would all long-haul flights from Gatwick. Len McCluskey, Unite: "We are unable to recommend BA's offer" Some short-haul Gatwick flights within the UK and Europe would be cancelled, while some short and long-haul flights to and from Heathrow would also be affected. BA said it was "very sorry for the stress and disruption Unite's decision will cause". Consumer group Which? said passengers should be able to get their money back if they are directly affected by the strike, but only once their specific flight has been officially cancelled.

"Passengers whose flights are cancelled should get a full refund, or may be able to rearrange their BA flight date, but that won't compensate for the time and money lost on hotel bookings or tour dates," said Rochelle Turner from Which?. Back-up plans Questions have been raised about how many of the 7,500 cabin crew that voted for action last month will actually go on strike. BA has said that those taking part will lose pay and perks, including no longer getting the right to buy heavily-discounted tickets. The airline has already made extensive contingency plans in preparation for strike action. It has already trained 1,000 staff to work as cabin crew to cover for any striking workers. In November, BA reduced the number of cabin crew on long-haul flights and brought in a two-year pay freeze from 2010. The airline has also proposed new contracts for fresh recruits and newly-promoted staff. These include a single on-board management grade, no seniority, promotion on merit, and pay set at the market rate plus 10%. However, this would still see new recruits paid significantly less than current staff.

The union said these changes would hit passenger services, as well as the earnings and career prospects of cabin crew. BA says the cuts are necessary to save money. Last month, it said it lost £342m for the last nine months of 2009. That followed an annual loss of more than £400m reported in May last year. Unite has acknowledged the "need for change" and has proposed its own cost-cutting package worth £63m through a combination of pay-cuts and part-time working, but this was rejected by BA earlier this week. The airline said the package would not save as much as Unite claimed, and would involve pay cuts for crew members. Bookmark with: BBC News - BA strike will cost airline �7m a day, it says Three men at the centre of BA row At Gatwick, BA's contingency plans, which include using pilots as cabin crew and leasing ready-crewed aircraft, meant four out of five flights before 1700 GMT went ahead. For Glasgow, the figure was 10 cancellations out of 40 flights, while at Manchester there were 15 cancellations out of 42 in total on BA's online schedule.

Over the weekend, the total level of disruption was higher, according to a BA statement, when 42% of flights were cancelled on Saturday and Sunday. Speaking to striking cabin crew at a rally near Heathrow, Unite's joint leader Tony Woodley said the union was still willing to negotiate and urged BA to "come back" to the negotiating table. Mr Woodley confirmed that he had been talking to Gordon Brown about the strike and was grateful for his attempts to encourage the two sides to reach a negotiated settlement. According to his spokesperson, the Prime Minister was keeping "very closely in touch" with the situation and was very conscious of the impact the dispute was having on passengers. Ongoing impact In a statement issued to the stock exchange about its operations over the weekend, the airline said that over the first two days of the strike, it operated 78% of its long-haul flights and 50% of short-haul. AT THE SCENE By Louisa Baldini, BBC News, near Heathrow Red and white Unite banners and flags are peppered across the car park of a little football club on the outskirts of Heathrow, where strikers have been gathering for three days.

"Willie liar, pants on fire" they chant, referring to the airline's chief executive Mr Walsh. The crowd of between two and three hundred have been more vocal today than over the weekend, boosted by a visit and rousing talk from one of their union's leaders, Tony Woodley. "After three days of being here, we needed that boost", one of the strikers tells me. "There is a real feeling of solidarity." As for the possibility of a settlement, most strikers I speak to believe the only hope is if negotiations by-pass Willie Walsh. Otherwise they are resigned to returning to the picket lines on Saturday. "We'd rather not, we'd rather be at work, but if we have to, we will." It said it had operated another 70 "positioning" flights, in most cases carrying cargo, which the airline said had returned passengers home "with minimum disruption". The next round of industrial action will begin on 27 March, bringing with it more disruption if a resolution cannot be reached before then. In the meantime, BA said the current three-day stoppage would continue to affect its operations this week after cabin crew return to work.

"We are sorry for any cancellations, as we get our aircraft, pilots and cabin crew back into the correct positions around the world," the airline said in a statement. "We are contacting customers and offering them a full refund, a rebook or a re-route so that they can get to their destinations." But it said the "vast majority" of passengers would be unaffected. "The knock-on impact at Heathrow is far less than anticipated due to the numbers of cabin crew who came to work as normal over the past weekend." The Unite union argues that the actual number who turned up for work is much lower than BA claims. Cuts and losses The strike action is the latest episode in a long-running dispute over changes to pay and conditions by BA that Unite claims are being unfairly imposed on its members. Workers are particularly angry that last November BA reduced the number of crew on long-haul flights and is introducing a two-year pay freeze from 2010. The airline also proposed new contracts with lower pay for fresh recruits. BA suffered a loss before tax of £342m for the nine months to the end of December 2009 and says it needs to cut costs in order to survive. Bookmark with:

Question: Which union was in dispute with British Airways and called strike action in March 2010
Answer: Unite